Method and Apparatus for Managing Product Placement on Store Shelf

• US 20140006229A1
• Filed: 04/05/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Birch, Thomas A., Kasper, Micheal J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,659,272 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method and apparatus for attending to a supply of product at a position on a store shelf involves receiving an electronic image of the position on a store shelf and comparing the electronic image to a previous electronic image of the position on the store shelf. Depending of the difference, if any, between the two images, generating an indication to attend to the supply of product at the position on the store shelf.

Claims

1. A method for attending to a supply of product at a position on a store shelf, comprising:

receiving an electronic image of the position on a store shelf;

comparing the electronic image to a previous electronic image of the position on the store shelf; and

generating an indication to attend to the supply of product at the position on the store shelf based on the analysis.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the previous electronic image of the position on the store shelf.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the previous electronic image comprises capturing the previous electronic image in response to receiving a user command or input from a sensor that detects a condition, and wherein receiving the electronic image of the position on the store shelf comprises capturing the electronic image in response to receiving a user command or input from a sensor that detects a condition.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the user command or input from a sensor that detects a condition is based on at least one of date, time of day, motion detection, temperature detection, a state of the supply of product at the position on the store shelf as indicated in an electronic representation of the supply of product on the store shelf in the electronic image, and a label or code on the product or on the store shelf at the position of the product on the store shelf.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the electronic image to a previous electronic image comprises detecting whether there is a difference between an electronic representation of the supply of product on the store shelf in the electronic image compared to an electronic representation of the supply of product on the store shelf in the previous electronic image.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the comparison detects one of:

the supply of product on the store shelf is at or below a minimum threshold supply of product on the store shelf, the supply of product on the store shelf includes an incorrect or misplaced product, and the supply of product is askew or otherwise is out of arrangement.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein generating an indication to attend to a supply of product at the position on the store shelf based on the analysis comprises generating the indication when there is a difference between an electronic representation of the supply of product on the store shelf in the electronic image compared to an electronic representation of the supply of product on the store shelf in the previous electronic image.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving at an end user device the indication to attend to a supply of product at the position on the store shelf;

transmitting from the end user device an acknowledgment in response to receiving the indication;

resetting the indication in response to receiving the acknowledgment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein transmitting an acknowledgment in response to receiving the indication comprises transmitting an acknowledgment that the supply of the product at the position on the store shelf has been attended to or not.

10. A system for attending to a supply of product at a position on a store shelf, comprising:

an electronic image capture device to capture and transmit an electronic image of the position on a store shelf;

a processor executing video analytic software coupled to the electronic image capture device to receive the electronic image and compare the electronic image to a previous electronic image of the position on the store shelf and generate an indication to attend to the supply of product at the position on the store shelf based on the analysis.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising a communications interface coupled to the electronic image capture device via which to transmit the electronic image.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the electronic image captured device further to capture and transmit the previous electronic image of the position on the store shelf.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising a sensor coupled to the electronic image capture device to cause the device to capture the electronic image in response to the sensor detecting a condition, wherein the condition comprises one of date, time of day, detection of motion, and detection of temperature.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor executing video analytic software to compare the electronic image to a previous electronic image of the position on the store shelf comprises the processor to detect whether there is a difference between an electronic representation of the supply of product on the store shelf in the electronic image compared to an electronic representation of the supply of product on the store shelf in the previous electronic image.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the processor further to:

receive an acknowledgment in response to generating the indication; and

reset the indication in response to receiving the acknowledgment.

16. At least one machine readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed on a computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive a first electronic image of the position on a store shelf;

receive a second electronic image of the position on a store shelf;

compare the second electronic image to the first electronic image of the position on the store shelf; and

generate an indication to attend to the supply of product at the position on the store shelf based on the analysis.

17. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein receiving the first and second electronic images comprise capturing the images in response to receiving a user command or input from a sensor that detects a condition, wherein the user command or input from a sensor that detects a condition is based on at least one of date, time of day, motion detection, temperature detection, and a state of the supply of product at the position on the store shelf.

18. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the comparison detects one of:

the supply of product on the store shelf is at or below a minimum threshold supply of product on the store shelf, the supply of product on the store shelf includes an incorrect or misplaced product, and the supply of product is askew or otherwise is out of arrangement.